224 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : 24 cm

"Why is the Middle East so troubled? What are the reasons for its relentless conflicts? In a land of ancient civilizations, literary cultures, and conquering empires, today we find fragmented societies, despotic governments, and widespread human misery. How can we explain these unfortunate facts? In this volume, cultural anthropologist Philip Carl Salzman exposes the determining influence of the foundational culture in the central Middle East: Bedouin tribal culture. Drawing on his own research among nomadic tribes and on the work of other anthropologists who have lived with the Bedonin, Salzman describes the structures and dynamics of the tribal life on which the Islamic Arab Empire and the modern Middle East were built. Most basic is the opposition between kin groups and tribal groups, and the obligation always to support the closer relations against the more distant. Islam itself reflects the contentious fragmentation of tribal life in pitting believers against infidel non-Muslims. Thus we discover that, in Middle Eastern culture, group loyalty is all, and precludes both a broad inclusive civility and the rule of law." "Wide-ranging while grounded in observed evidence, Culture and Conflict in the Middle East is an original analysis and an illuminating overview. Sympathetic to Middle Easterners, it identifies the basis of their troubles and our troubles with them. This is an indispensable volume for anyone wishing to understand the contemporary Middle East."--Jacket

Includes bibliographical references (pages 213-219) and index

Introduction -- Making a living in the Middle East : life in the valleys, deserts, and mountains -- Friends and enemies : security and defense in the Middle East -- Defense and offense : honor and rank in the Middle East -- Turning toward the world : tribal organization and predatory expansion -- Tribe and state : the dynamics of incompatibility -- Root causes : the Middle East today and tomorrow

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